24 injured by blast on passenger train in Taiwan

At least 24 people have been injured, after an explosion inside a train carriage, at the Songshan railway station in central Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.

Focus Taiwan TV reported that just before 10pm local time there was a loud bang in the sixth carriage of a crowded commuter train, which then quickly became engulfed in flames. The Straits Times and several other local media said there had been three explosions.

A local newspaper has reported that eyewitnesses saw a man in his 40s walk inside the carriage, put down a 15-20cm tube-like object and quickly exit the train. National Police Agency Director General Chen Kuo-en has confirmed that the explosion was likely caused by a “firecracker-like device.” The police official has refused to call the incident a terrorist attack. Local media have reported that a manhunt for the suspect is in progress.